Marvel Legends action figures are #1 on the list of toys I wish they had when I was a kid. We have been amassing a horde of these things, and they are easily the most popular toys in the house, played with every day, brought out when there are guests. The quality, however, varies considerably. Some are excellent, others...not.
Generally speaking, the more muscular figures are (as you'd expect) less posable. All those jokes about body-builders who are so buff they can't reach their face to brush their teeth? That's pretty much the case with the Marvel Legends, although it isn't necessarily a difficulty as far as playability goes. More slender figures are usually easier to pose. In addition, figures designed to use a particular object (included with the toy) are sometimes worthless for any other way of playing.
Angel - This figure is a little delicate--ours broke at the hip upon first being played with and had to be fixed with superglue and a C-clamp. He looks fine now but the kids know they have to be careful with him, which isn't what you want. The wings are heavy and come off easily (fortunately they are easy to put back on as well). Apart from that he is flexible, posable, an excellent toy.
Beast - A little difficult to play with because he's so large, and off-balance when you try to pose him. The snarl is a little off-putting. Overall decent, but the kids don't play with him too much.
Bishop - Reasonably posable considering the muscles, he can't do much with his arms but that doesn't seem to be a problem for my kids. He looks great, far better than I'd have expected possible given Bishop's design. He can easily stand on his own, depending on the pose, which makes him even more playable. The guns he comes with are usable, and the fact that he is wearing holsters to store them with is a real plus, and hopefully they won't be as prone to getting lost as some of the other bits and pieces that came with these toys.
Black Panther - I'm told that he has the same body sculpt as Wonder Man, and he is about the same in terms of flexibility and posability. The cape is pretty nifty, though.
Black Widow - She was the reigning favorite among my kids until X-23 came along. Posable, flexible, looks great (well, the throat looks like hell with that visible joint). And is a female figure, which is a vote in her favor as far as my girls are concerned.
Captain America - Flexible and posable, looks really good. The waist is pretty loose, and the hip joints are extremely so, which makes it almost impossible to stand him up because he immediately bends and falls over. Overall, however, this is one of my favorites.
Cyclops - Lousy paint job, can't bend at the waist, doesn't seem to be able to move the head back and forth (I suppose I could try harder but I don't want to decapitate the fellow). Very grim expression, not that that matters much.
Doctor Strange - Posable, fairly flexible, can stand on his own for brief periods of time. Can turn at the waist but not bend; he can bend at the hip but the tunic gets in the way. This is unfortunate because his hands form horns, and if only he could bend he'd be ready for some serious headbanging. Looks good. The cape is excellent.
Giant-Man - Only has the most basic articulation. He came with an Ant-Man and a Wasp, both of which are small and minimally articulated. (The Wasp, as it happens, is in the kitchen in a bag with her head off, awaiting the miracle of superglue. Unlike her Marvel Zombies counterpart, she did not return to lifesize when decapitated.)
Hawkeye - Hawkeye was designed to ride his flying scooter thing, and if he's not on that he has a hard time. He can't sit normally because his hip joints won't move back and forth (off to one side is fine, though). He's also hunched forward somewhat. All this combines to make him one of the more difficult figures to play with.
Hulk (Maestro) - Somewhat flexible, and reasonably posable for such a large, muscular figure.
Iron Fist - Flexible and posable, very good toy. The ties on his headdress tend to mash against his collar, and we haven't yet figured out how to use those flame things that go on his hands, but overall very good.
Iron Man (Red and Gold Armor) - Loose in the waist, the arms don't move as much as one might like, and the mask comes off too easily. Otherwise, reasonably posable and flexible, and looks pretty good.
Iron Man (Red and Silver Armor) - Reasonably posable and flexible considering the armor; the arms are blocked from much motion by the shoulder pieces. The mask comes off easily if played with much, and the face reminds me of how much better Tony Stark looks with the goatee (which he of course lacks here).
Iron Man (Modern Armor) - Reasonably posable, including the arms. The mask comes off, of course. Decent play value.
Mr. Sinister - Looks great! (The kids love the cape.) Slightly stiff but posable, stands alone easily. He was the first actual "bad guy" we acquired, so he gets a good workout being defeated, over and over.
Nightcrawler - Flexible, posable, can stand alone, good design, excellent toy!
Professor X - Nicely done! Posable, flexible, and of proportions that look like those of a normal non-super being (not scrawny). Even the suit looks all right.
Sabretooth - Fairly loose in the waist (you can spin it) but otherwise highly flexible and posable, although the collar gets in the way of the arms a bit.
Sasquatch - Very flexible for such a large figure--definitely has good playability, and looks good as well.
Scarlet Witch - She is thinner than she ought to be; I suppose that's to differentiate her from more muscular figures, but Wanda has always been curvy, and this figure makes her look malnourished. She is extremely flexible and reasonably posable, but cannot stand on her own for even a moment. She seems to be designed so that she can strike that one-hip-out spell-casting pose, and she can definitely do that, but it's harder to get her into any other positions.
Spider-Man (Original Appearance). - The netted webbing looks like hell, honestly. Otherwise, a little stiff (okay, a lot stiff, I keep worrying about taking a leg off!). The design seems all right, it's the execution that's the problem.
Vision - One of the most flexible, posable figures I've seen. the Vision can get into some positions that other action figures can only dream of. He's hunched forward slightly, which I don't care for, but otherwise I have no complaints about this design.
War Machine - The shoulder pieces make it hard to do much with the arms, but he's reasonably posable and looks pretty good. As with all of the armored figures, the mask tends to come off (and get lost, although so far we've always been able to recover it). I suppose that would be a choking hazard if you had kids under 3, but I don't, so I don't worry about it.
Wolverine - (Not sure which version, he has a blue and yellow costume, a mask, gritting his teeth.) Posable, playable, a little loose in the waist. Reasonably flexible, looks good.
Wonder Man - Muscular, a bit stiff in places, has that hunched-over look that some of the other figures have. Reasonable posable, not all that flexible. Decent toy.
X-23 - A female character and a young one besides, so the girls love her. Flexible and posable, doesn't stand very well, and the head is out of proportion, but she has taken over the title of Toy Most Fought Over from the Black Widow, so what do I know?
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